This tradition was started here by Nemia. Greeting the changes of season with this particular reading ritual is an incredibly powerful way to connect to the time and to nature. Doing it together makes it even more special. The insights gained are deep and often very surprising. I really hope you will join us.
It is a 12-day reading exercise. Each day has a theme based on an ancient or historical or current celebration that takes place on that day. Draw a card (or multiple cards if you like) and use the theme of the day to help interpret that card's meaning for you.
- Choose a deck that you feel has the spirit of this oncoming season. Open a thread with your name here. Copy the spread (below) and paste it into your thread.
- On March 15th, we'll all meet here and start the reading.
- Each day for the 12 days you will add to your thread. If you prefer, you don't have to draw a card a day, you can do them all at once if you like or however you want.
The Sacred Days of Vernal Equinox Spread:
Day 1: 15.3. Cybele and Attis Festival - Today is the first day of week-long celebration of Cybele, the great Mother Goddess, and her youthful consort Attis. Today's card talks about love and eros in your life, and how you can celebrate them.
Day 2: 16.3. Gahambar Hamaspathmaidyem - Today begins the Zoroastrian Holiday Gahambar Hamaspathmaidyem, celebrating the life cycle of human beings, from creation to death, and the presence of angels. Today's card connects you to your own path in life and the angel/power/energy that protects you.
Day 3: 17.3. Liberalia - On this day, the Romans celebrated the Liberalia festival of freedom. Today's card tells you how you use your freedom and encourages you to be really free of bonds that limit your personality, talents and longings. What are the bonds you have to break to be free?
Day 4: 18.3. Ugadi - The Hindu holiday Ugadi is celebrated in some parts of India as New Year. Its traditional food represents the different tastes: sour, salty, sweet and bitter. Today's card shows you how to balance the flavours in your life, to be able to enjoy it to the fullest in the months ahead. How can make you make your life more flavourful and enjoyable?
Day 5: 19.3. Minerva Day - Minerva/Athene is the Roman/Greek goddess of intelligence, rational thinking and objectivity. Today's card asks you how you use your intelligence and talents, whether you give them the proper place or whether you feel you have undeveloped potential. What can you do to make the best use of your mental powers and intelligence?
Day 6: 20.3. Spring/Vernal Equinox - This is the day of balance between day and night, when new things grow and push through the earth, when Kore/Persephone returns from the underworld and brings flowers with her. Today's card calls you to contemplate on creativity and renewal in your own life. Where do you resist change, and where should you embrace it?
For Southern Hemisphere tarotists who experience Autumn: what are the wilting things and feelings in my life that I should let go?
Day 7: 21.3. Harmony Day - In Australia, Harmony Day celebrates inclusiveness and acceptance. Today's card asks you to probe your own hidden prejudices, and what you can do to become more open and tolerant. Challenge yourself to inform yourself and get to know cultures, topics or people that until held irrational negative associations for you. How can you become an ambassador for inclusiveness and harmony in your society and immediate surrounding?
Day 8: 22.3. Eostre/Ostara - The Germanic goddess of spring is celebrated with eggs, rabbits and the ringing of bells. Today's card reminds you of a bell ringing in your life, a bell that calls you forward and that you didn't heed or overhear until now. Understand what this bell wants to tell you, and in the coming month, try to make its voice heard.
Day 9: 23.3. Hilaria = The Roman holiday of Hilaria celebrates laughter and fun. Today's card throws a light on the place light-hearted fun and humour have in your life. Do you laugh often enough? The card challenges you to find things that make you laugh and forget your worries, and do them regularly from now on.
Day 10: 24.3. Earth Hour - On this international day, people stop to think about the environment and the use we make of it. Are you doing all you can to keep and preserve this earth? Today's card asks you to find your own connection to the Earth you live on, whether through environment awareness or the voice of your spiritual tradition. How are you connected to this Earth and how can you honour it?
Day 11: 25.3. The Annunciation - The Christian holiday celebrates peace, hope and new beginnings. Today's card shows you where you have to make peace - with memories, people in your life or other painful matters. Let them go and don't beat yourself up any more.
Day 12: 26.3. Preparation of the Temple of Luna - On the final day of our 12 days, we prepare for the annual Roman festival in the Temple of Luna, the Moon goddess. Today's card tells you how you can become more attuned to the intuitive, quiet side within you, how you can make your spiritual work more meaningful, and how to integrate your shadow into your life. It's the message of the Moon for the spring days ahead while the influence of the Sun is rising.
From Nemia:
It's obviously possible to do these readings alone but for me, the group feeling made them even more special, more like a ritual that connects people from different places and background with cosmic events and of course tarot.
For readers from the Southern hemisphere, the seasonal feeling may feel off. It would be necessary to re-write the spreads for the Southern hemisphere, incorporating festivals and holidays from cultures on the Southern part of the planet. I think probably only someone from the Southern hemisphere can get it right.
If one of the dates means something else for you - if in your culture or your life, this date "means" something else, you can change it. I'd advise you though to remain in the realm of festivals and holidays with a more than individual meaning because that's the character of these readings - they reflect the importance of these days celebrated in many cultures.
Another problem is the difficulty in doing this reading every day for twelve days. I think it's totally okay to break up the spread into chunks - either three times four or four times three - it's all sacred numbers anyway. Then it's easier to follow through with it.
Any questions and ideas are very much welcome.
